Promoting khichdi as national meal & stoking rows

Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tough-talking Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah is not known to be particularly media-friendly. Mr Shah does not address too many press conferences and when he does, he is quick to put down journalists who ask uncomfortable questions. Given his reputation, media persons, covering the Gujarat Assembly elections, were surprised to find that he has now shed his elusive image. Unlike the previous Assembly polls when the BJP president was selective in giving interviews, Mr Shah has made it a point to participate in special poll-related programmes hosted recently by several television channels. Despite his hectic schedule, Mr Shah has taken a personal interest in the functioning of the posh media room set up by the BJP in Ahmedabad. Not only does he drop in unannounced at all odd hours to interact with journalists, he has also given directions that meals should be available for them. It is no surprise that the favourite dish served at the media room is the famous Gujarati khichdi, especially since the Modi government has gone all-out to promote khichdi as a national dish. In fact, journalists in Gujarat have been receiving regular invitations from the BJP to join them for a khichdi meal.

For the past one month now, Congress circles have been abuzz with speculation that the BJP will prop up a disgruntled party functionary to force a contest for the president’s post to ensure that vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s elevation is not a smooth affair. So when Maharashtra Congress secretary Shehzad Poonawalla, who draws his strength from his perceived proximity to the Gandhi family since his brother is married to Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s sister-in-law, questioned the presidential election, Congress insiders were convinced it was a BJP conspiracy. Mr Poonawalla’s detractors in the party were quick to point out that he has worked with party MP Rajeev Shukla who is known to be close to finance minister Arun Jaitley. Coming at a time when the election process for the party is on and the Gujarat Assembly polls have become a heated affair, Congress insiders were sure Mr Poonawalla had allowed himself to be used by the BJP. Others believe that the young man was upset because he was denied a senior position in the party and this was his way of hitting back. Whatever it may be, the Congress media department has been quick to dissociate itself from Mr Poonawalla, saying he does not figure in its list of spokespersons and was never asked to represent the Congress in television debates.

Union information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani has a penchant for stoking controversies. She manages to be in the news on some pretext or the other. If she is not upbraiding media persons, she is pulling up her ministry officials. Ms Irani recently kicked up a storm when she went in for a large-scale revamp of the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The duties of as many as 50 Indian Information Services (IIS) officers were reassigned and nearly two dozen officers were transferred. The IIS Officers Association petitioned the information and broadcasting secretary to lodge a protest at these arbitrary transfers while the ministers to whom these officers were attached did not take kindly to these changes which have now been put on hold. It is believed the restructuring was undertaken with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The minister apparently wanted a new set of officers to be entrusted with the government’s publicity in Delhi instead of depending on the old set. Keen on making optimum use of the PIB for publicising its achievements, the government is also said to be looking at the possibility of appointing an outsider to the post of the principal director general, PIB when the present incumbent Frank Noronha, retires. The BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli is learnt to be the front-runner for this job. Irani is said to have taken a personal interest in the restructuring of the PIB and she even had one-to-one meetings with those who were transferred out of Delhi.

Started with a huge fanfare last year when Opposition parties came together to take on the Modi government post-demonetisation, the unity moves have been put on the backburner for the time being. The Opposition camp suffered a huge setback when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar joined hands with the BJP. More importantly, Opposition leaders said, the prolonged suspense over Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s elevation has also contributed in slowing down their efforts to put up a united fight against the BJP. Those who are known to be close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and who were actively involved in bringing Opposition parties together, are not sure if they will find a place in the new set-up. According to a senior leader, Sonia loyalists have been so busy trying to save their jobs and ensuring their personal survival that they neither have the time nor the inclination to promote Opposition unity.